Tag: Social Media

Illinois Employers Beware: New Law Prohibits Employers from Seeking Social Media Password Information

The National Law Review recently published an article regarding Social Media Passwords and Illinois Employers written by Norma W. Zeitler of Barnes & Thornburg LLP:

Employers in Illinois will be prohibited from seeking social networking password information from employees and applicants starting Jan. 1, 2013, now that Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed into law Public Act 097-0875, which is an amendment to the Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act, 820 ILCS 55/10.

As we previously reported , the legislation makes it unlawful for an employer to require an employee or applicant to disclose passwords or other related social networking account information in order for the employer to access information that might otherwise be considered private by the employee or applicant. However, employers are not barred from accessing information that is in the public domain

Illinois becomes the second state, after Maryland, to enact such a law, according to a press release from Governor Quinn’s office announcing that he signed the legislation into law on August 1. The new law does not limit an employer’s right to promulgate and maintain otherwise lawful workplace policies regarding the use of the employer’s computer equipment, Internet use, social networking site use, and electronic mail use.

Illinois employers should consider reviewing existing policies and practices with an eye toward ensuring compliance with this new law.

© 2012 BARNES & THORNBURG LLP

Rainmaker Retreat: Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp

The National Law Review is pleased to bring you information about the upcoming Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp:

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Have you ever gone to a seminar that left you feeling motivated, but you walked out with little more than a good feeling? Or taken a workshop that was great on style, but short on substance?

Ever been to an event that was nothing more than a “pitch fest” that left a bad taste in your mouth? We know exactly how you feel. We have all been to those kinds of events and we hate all those things too. Let me tell you right up front this is not a “pitch fest” where speaker after speaker gets up only trying to sell you something.

We have designed this 2 day intensive workshop to be content rich, loaded with practical content.

We are so confident you will love the Rainmaker Retreat that we offer a 100% unconditional money-back guarantee! At the end of the first day of the Rainmaker Retreat if you don’t believe you have already received your money’s worth, simply tell one of the staff, return your 70-page workbook and the CD set you received and we will issue you a 100% refund.

We understand making the decision to attend an intensive 2-day workshop is a tough decision. Not only do you have to take a day off work (all Rainmaker Retreats are offered only on a Friday-Saturday), but in many cases you have to travel to the event. As a business owner you want to be sure this is a worthwhile investment of your time and money.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Partners at Small Law Firms (less than 25 attorneys) Solo Practitioners and Of Counsel attorneys who are committed to growing their firm. Benefits you will receive:

Solo practitioners who need to find more clients fast on a shoe-string budget. In addition to all the above benefits, solo attorneys will receive these massive benefits:

Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff who are either responsible for marketing the law firm or manage the team who handles the law firm’s marketing. In addition to all the above benefits, Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff will also receive these benefits:

Of Counsel Attorneys who are paid on an “eat what you kill” basis. In addition to all the above benefits, Of Counsel attorneys will also receive these benefits:

Associates who are either looking to grow their book of new clients in the next 6-12 months or want to launch their own private practice. In addition to all the above benefits, Associates will also receive these benefits:

Rainmaker Retreat: Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp

The National Law Review is pleased to bring you information about the upcoming Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp:

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Have you ever gone to a seminar that left you feeling motivated, but you walked out with little more than a good feeling? Or taken a workshop that was great on style, but short on substance?

Ever been to an event that was nothing more than a “pitch fest” that left a bad taste in your mouth? We know exactly how you feel. We have all been to those kinds of events and we hate all those things too. Let me tell you right up front this is not a “pitch fest” where speaker after speaker gets up only trying to sell you something.

We have designed this 2 day intensive workshop to be content rich, loaded with practical content.

We are so confident you will love the Rainmaker Retreat that we offer a 100% unconditional money-back guarantee! At the end of the first day of the Rainmaker Retreat if you don’t believe you have already received your money’s worth, simply tell one of the staff, return your 70-page workbook and the CD set you received and we will issue you a 100% refund.

We understand making the decision to attend an intensive 2-day workshop is a tough decision. Not only do you have to take a day off work (all Rainmaker Retreats are offered only on a Friday-Saturday), but in many cases you have to travel to the event. As a business owner you want to be sure this is a worthwhile investment of your time and money.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Partners at Small Law Firms (less than 25 attorneys) Solo Practitioners and Of Counsel attorneys who are committed to growing their firm. Benefits you will receive:

Solo practitioners who need to find more clients fast on a shoe-string budget. In addition to all the above benefits, solo attorneys will receive these massive benefits:

Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff who are either responsible for marketing the law firm or manage the team who handles the law firm’s marketing. In addition to all the above benefits, Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff will also receive these benefits:

Of Counsel Attorneys who are paid on an “eat what you kill” basis. In addition to all the above benefits, Of Counsel attorneys will also receive these benefits:

Associates who are either looking to grow their book of new clients in the next 6-12 months or want to launch their own private practice. In addition to all the above benefits, Associates will also receive these benefits:

Rainmaker Retreat: Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp

The National Law Review is pleased to bring you information about the upcoming Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp:

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Have you ever gone to a seminar that left you feeling motivated, but you walked out with little more than a good feeling? Or taken a workshop that was great on style, but short on substance?

Ever been to an event that was nothing more than a “pitch fest” that left a bad taste in your mouth? We know exactly how you feel. We have all been to those kinds of events and we hate all those things too. Let me tell you right up front this is not a “pitch fest” where speaker after speaker gets up only trying to sell you something.

We have designed this 2 day intensive workshop to be content rich, loaded with practical content.

We are so confident you will love the Rainmaker Retreat that we offer a 100% unconditional money-back guarantee! At the end of the first day of the Rainmaker Retreat if you don’t believe you have already received your money’s worth, simply tell one of the staff, return your 70-page workbook and the CD set you received and we will issue you a 100% refund.

We understand making the decision to attend an intensive 2-day workshop is a tough decision. Not only do you have to take a day off work (all Rainmaker Retreats are offered only on a Friday-Saturday), but in many cases you have to travel to the event. As a business owner you want to be sure this is a worthwhile investment of your time and money.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Partners at Small Law Firms (less than 25 attorneys) Solo Practitioners and Of Counsel attorneys who are committed to growing their firm. Benefits you will receive:

Solo practitioners who need to find more clients fast on a shoe-string budget. In addition to all the above benefits, solo attorneys will receive these massive benefits:

Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff who are either responsible for marketing the law firm or manage the team who handles the law firm’s marketing. In addition to all the above benefits, Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff will also receive these benefits:

Of Counsel Attorneys who are paid on an “eat what you kill” basis. In addition to all the above benefits, Of Counsel attorneys will also receive these benefits:

Associates who are either looking to grow their book of new clients in the next 6-12 months or want to launch their own private practice. In addition to all the above benefits, Associates will also receive these benefits:

Rainmaker Retreat: Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp

The National Law Review is pleased to bring you information about the upcoming Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp:

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Have you ever gone to a seminar that left you feeling motivated, but you walked out with little more than a good feeling? Or taken a workshop that was great on style, but short on substance?

Ever been to an event that was nothing more than a “pitch fest” that left a bad taste in your mouth? We know exactly how you feel. We have all been to those kinds of events and we hate all those things too. Let me tell you right up front this is not a “pitch fest” where speaker after speaker gets up only trying to sell you something.

We have designed this 2 day intensive workshop to be content rich, loaded with practical content.

We are so confident you will love the Rainmaker Retreat that we offer a 100% unconditional money-back guarantee! At the end of the first day of the Rainmaker Retreat if you don’t believe you have already received your money’s worth, simply tell one of the staff, return your 70-page workbook and the CD set you received and we will issue you a 100% refund.

We understand making the decision to attend an intensive 2-day workshop is a tough decision. Not only do you have to take a day off work (all Rainmaker Retreats are offered only on a Friday-Saturday), but in many cases you have to travel to the event. As a business owner you want to be sure this is a worthwhile investment of your time and money.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Partners at Small Law Firms (less than 25 attorneys) Solo Practitioners and Of Counsel attorneys who are committed to growing their firm. Benefits you will receive:

Solo practitioners who need to find more clients fast on a shoe-string budget. In addition to all the above benefits, solo attorneys will receive these massive benefits:

Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff who are either responsible for marketing the law firm or manage the team who handles the law firm’s marketing. In addition to all the above benefits, Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff will also receive these benefits:

Of Counsel Attorneys who are paid on an “eat what you kill” basis. In addition to all the above benefits, Of Counsel attorneys will also receive these benefits:

Associates who are either looking to grow their book of new clients in the next 6-12 months or want to launch their own private practice. In addition to all the above benefits, Associates will also receive these benefits:

Rainmaker Retreat: Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp

The National Law Review is pleased to bring you information about the upcoming Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp:

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Have you ever gone to a seminar that left you feeling motivated, but you walked out with little more than a good feeling? Or taken a workshop that was great on style, but short on substance?

Ever been to an event that was nothing more than a “pitch fest” that left a bad taste in your mouth? We know exactly how you feel. We have all been to those kinds of events and we hate all those things too. Let me tell you right up front this is not a “pitch fest” where speaker after speaker gets up only trying to sell you something.

We have designed this 2 day intensive workshop to be content rich, loaded with practical content.

We are so confident you will love the Rainmaker Retreat that we offer a 100% unconditional money-back guarantee! At the end of the first day of the Rainmaker Retreat if you don’t believe you have already received your money’s worth, simply tell one of the staff, return your 70-page workbook and the CD set you received and we will issue you a 100% refund.

We understand making the decision to attend an intensive 2-day workshop is a tough decision. Not only do you have to take a day off work (all Rainmaker Retreats are offered only on a Friday-Saturday), but in many cases you have to travel to the event. As a business owner you want to be sure this is a worthwhile investment of your time and money.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Partners at Small Law Firms (less than 25 attorneys) Solo Practitioners and Of Counsel attorneys who are committed to growing their firm. Benefits you will receive:

  • You will discover over 65 different marketing techniques that are proven to work in the real world environment of a fast moving law firm. Only practical  techniques will be discussed here. We leave the theory for the classroom.
  • You will know the 5 critical numbers you need to be tracking in your law firm and how to measure your Return On Investment (ROI) for all your marketing efforts.
  • You will understand the core concepts of search engine optimization (SEO) and internet marketing for attorneys and how to create a dominant position on the internet.
  • You will study specific tools to automate your marketing system and “fix your follow up” to increase your conversion rates from prospects to paying clients.
  • You will be introduced to several advanced internet marketing strategies for lawyers.
  • You will leave with a Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint to help you fully leverage Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Avvo and JDSupra to drive new leads to your law firm.
  • You will learn from dozens of real world case studies of how attorneys have gone from a good 6 figure practice to a great “7 figure lifestyle law firm.”
  • You will learn how to focus your money on the most effective marketing strategies based on your specific practice area.
  • You will learn how to better select, train and motivate your partners and staff to do Rainmaking activities
  • You will learn where you can ‘cut the fat’ and reduce your costs by eliminating ineffective marketing strategies
  • You will create a written Marketing Action Plan (MAP) that will guide your law firm’s efforts and provide specific goals for your team to achieve in the next 6 months
  • You will have a realistic idea of how much money it will take to effectively market your law firm
  • You will start building a network of other attorneys across the country who are dedicated to building a 7 figure lifestyle law firm
  • You will understand how to utilize the 7 Rainmaker tools for generating more referrals and repeat business from current and former clients.

Solo practitioners who need to find more clients fast on a shoe-string budget. In addition to all the above benefits, solo attorneys will receive these massive benefits:

  • You will discover over 30 low cost (starting at $20/mo)and no cost marketing strategies to help you stretch your budget
  • You will learn software tools that will help you automate your marketing system
  • You will learn an easy to use system for tracking all your incoming leads
  • You will be introduced to specific tools to help you and your staff convert more prospects into paying clients.
  • You will create a written Marketing Action Plan (MAP) that will guide your law firm’s efforts and provide specific goals for your team to achieve in the next 6 months
  • You will see how other solo attorneys have leveraged internet marketing and social media networks to beat much bigger firms
  • You will hear about best practices in legal marketing and gain new insight into what has and has not worked for other solo attorneys all across the country
  • You will be introduced to several advanced internet marketing strategies for lawyers.
  • You will understand how to utilize the 7 Rainmaker tools for generating more referrals and repeat business from current and former clients.
  • You will learn what the most profitable practice areas are in this economy.
  • You will leave with a Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint to help you fully leverage Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Avvo and JDSupra to drive new leads to your law firm.

Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff who are either responsible for marketing the law firm or manage the team who handles the law firm’s marketing. In addition to all the above benefits, Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff will also receive these benefits:

  • You will understand what it takes to start marketing a practice from scratch.
  • You will walk out with a specific, step-by-step, written Marketing Action Plan (MAP) that your internal marketing team can implement in the next 30 days.
  • You will learn how to quickly evaluate potential legal marketing strategies to determine if they are a “good fit” for your attorney’s practice areas.
  • You will know how to integrate your offline legal marketing strategies, like referral development and cross selling the firm’s other services,with your online and internet marketing strategies.
  • You will have a simple guide for when it’s more beneficial and cost effective to outsource specific attorney marketing projects versus keeping it in house.
  • You will know the questions to ask when evaluating internet marketing and legal website development companies so you can make wise decisions.
  • You will grasp fundamental search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and understand how to evaluate potential providers of SEO services.
  • You will understand the “metrics of legal marketing”—how to track and measure the results and ROI of your law firm’s marketing campaigns using low cost tools.
  • You will discover a proven system for fixing the follow up of your attorneys and how to start tracking every lead, every prospect, and every referral source and automatically follow up with them frequently and consistently.
  • You will discover over a dozen low cost legal marketing strategies you can launch in 30 days or less.
  • You will have a paint-by-the-numbers approach to developing more referral sources for your law firm.
  • You will understand the basics of how to put together a reasonable law firm marketing budget.
  • You will know how to work better with the Managing Partner and law firm Partners to provide them with the data, the metrics and results they are looking for.

Of Counsel Attorneys who are paid on an “eat what you kill” basis. In addition to all the above benefits, Of Counsel attorneys will also receive these benefits:

  • You will learn how other Of Counsel Attorneys build their book of business.
  • You will understand how to walk the line between promoting your firm and promoting yourself.
  • You will learn low cost strategies to develop a stronger referral base.
  • You will realize how to apply a step-by-step approach to increasing your credibility in the marketplace.
  • You will recognize how to find more clients even without the support of your firm.
  • You will apply several specific strategies designed to improve your visibility.
  • You will leave with a game plan for finding more clients and building a sustainable book of business.

Associates who are either looking to grow their book of new clients in the next 6-12 months or want to launch their own private practice. In addition to all the above benefits, Associates will also receive these benefits:

  • You will understand what it takes to start marketing a practice from scratch.
  • You will learn the importance of building your own book of business now instead of just relying on senior attorneys to build it for you.
  • You will learn low cost techniques to find more clients with your limited time.
  • You will obtain a practical understanding of what it really takes to become a “Rainmaker.”

WHAT MAKES THIS SO DIFFERENT FROM EVERY OTHER LEGAL MARKETING SEMINAR?

1. Specifically Designed for Owners and Managing Partners at Small Law Firms and Solo Practitioners.While Associates, Of Counsel, and Partners at large firms (50+ attorneys) are welcome to attend and will receive benefit from attending, the Rainmaker Retreat is specifically designed to meet the needs, challenges, and financial budgets of solo practitioners and small law firms.

You won’t find any strategies that cost tens of thousands of dollars in this seminar. In fact, many of our strategies have little to no cost and with many of them we will tell you how to trade more of your time instead of spending your money if you’re marketing your practice on a shoe-string budget. Nor will you hear about generic marketing ideas that only work if you have a large staff or a separate marketing department.

2. This is an Advanced Legal Marketing Workshop. We work very hard to make the material easy to understand and simple to apply, but please understand this is an advanced, in-depth, hard-hitting law firm marketing course!

If you are just starting out or have never done legal marketing or business development before you will likely find the volume and depth of our strategies to be a little overwhelming at times.

A common remark we hear from experienced attorneys is that attending the Rainmaker Retreat is like “trying to drink from a fire hydrant” because we will provide you will dozens of time tested legal marketing strategies each day of the workshop.

At the Rainmaker Retreat, you will not hear any generic marketing advice like “just buy more Yellow Page ads” or “try to get more referrals from clients.” The Rainmaker Retreat focuses on in-depth discussions of cutting-edge strategies and revealing secrets of highly successful attorneys used by only an elite group of lawyers.

3. You will be taught How to Track and Measure Every Legal Marketing Effort! You will find a big emphasis on tracking the results of your attorney marketing efforts so if you are a numbers kind of person you will LOVE the Rainmaker Retreat!

There are 3 major areas you need to analyze and every one of your current challenges is directly related to problems in one or more of these 3 areas. We will teach you what the 3 areas are and how to use this tool to diagnose your problems and what “marketing treatment” you need to prescribe.

4. You will learn a Proven Lead Conversion System. The biggest area attorneys overlook in their legal marketing efforts is how to convert more prospects into paying clients. You will learn the 5 numbers you need to track in your law firm.

We will give you the tools and teach you how to use them so you can start tracking: (1) where every incoming lead is coming from, (2) how many of those leads turn into appointments, (3) how many appointments show up, (4) how many of those appointments retain at the initial consult, and (5) how many retain at a later date. We will introduce you to our Rainmaker Follow Up System that can be used to determine your Cost Per Lead (CPL) and Cost Per Client (CPC).

5. It is a Working Retreat. This means that several times each day you will be given specific marketing tasks to complete with step-by-step instructions. You not only come to listen, learn and discover, but also to practice and apply.

By the end of the Rainmaker Retreat you will:

  • Create a written 90-day Marketing Action Plan (MAP) for your law firm
  • Discover your firm’s Unique Competitive Advantage (UCA)
  • Identify a profile of your Ideal Target Market (ITM)
  • Have written strategies for improving your internet presence and search engine optimization
  • Develop your own plan for leveraging the power of blogging and social media following the Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint
  • Create a letter of introduction to potential Strategic Referral Partners (SRPs)

6. There is a Strong Focus on Return on Investment (ROI)! Everything about this workshop is focused on one goal—helping you achieve the best possible results by finding more and better clients in the least amount of time using the least amount of money possible!

For most attorneys,landing just 1 new client as a result of this workshop will more than pay for your attendance. But that’s not our goal! Our goal is to teach you how to gain dozens of new clients in the next 60-90 days.

Please note, ethically we cannot guarantee those kinds of results, but we work hard to provide you with all of the tools you will need to find more and better clients on a consistent basis. With that kind of Return on Investment, can you afford not to attend?

7. 100% Money Back Guarantee! We are so confident you will benefit from the Rainmaker Retreat that we offer a 100% money back guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied at the end of the first day, just let us know, turn your materials in and we will refund your money.

We guarantee you will come out of these 2 days with a step-by-step Marketing Action Plan (MAP) to make very specific changes to your marketing and how you go about building your legal practice.

Rainmaker Retreat: Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp

The National Law Review is pleased to bring you information about the upcoming Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp:

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Have you ever gone to a seminar that left you feeling motivated, but you walked out with little more than a good feeling? Or taken a workshop that was great on style, but short on substance?

Ever been to an event that was nothing more than a “pitch fest” that left a bad taste in your mouth? We know exactly how you feel. We have all been to those kinds of events and we hate all those things too. Let me tell you right up front this is not a “pitch fest” where speaker after speaker gets up only trying to sell you something.

We have designed this 2 day intensive workshop to be content rich, loaded with practical content.

We are so confident you will love the Rainmaker Retreat that we offer a 100% unconditional money-back guarantee! At the end of the first day of the Rainmaker Retreat if you don’t believe you have already received your money’s worth, simply tell one of the staff, return your 70-page workbook and the CD set you received and we will issue you a 100% refund.

We understand making the decision to attend an intensive 2-day workshop is a tough decision. Not only do you have to take a day off work (all Rainmaker Retreats are offered only on a Friday-Saturday), but in many cases you have to travel to the event. As a business owner you want to be sure this is a worthwhile investment of your time and money.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Partners at Small Law Firms (less than 25 attorneys) Solo Practitioners and Of Counsel attorneys who are committed to growing their firm. Benefits you will receive:

  • You will discover over 65 different marketing techniques that are proven to work in the real world environment of a fast moving law firm. Only practical  techniques will be discussed here. We leave the theory for the classroom.
  • You will know the 5 critical numbers you need to be tracking in your law firm and how to measure your Return On Investment (ROI) for all your marketing efforts.
  • You will understand the core concepts of search engine optimization (SEO) and internet marketing for attorneys and how to create a dominant position on the internet.
  • You will study specific tools to automate your marketing system and “fix your follow up” to increase your conversion rates from prospects to paying clients.
  • You will be introduced to several advanced internet marketing strategies for lawyers.
  • You will leave with a Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint to help you fully leverage Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Avvo and JDSupra to drive new leads to your law firm.
  • You will learn from dozens of real world case studies of how attorneys have gone from a good 6 figure practice to a great “7 figure lifestyle law firm.”
  • You will learn how to focus your money on the most effective marketing strategies based on your specific practice area.
  • You will learn how to better select, train and motivate your partners and staff to do Rainmaking activities
  • You will learn where you can ‘cut the fat’ and reduce your costs by eliminating ineffective marketing strategies
  • You will create a written Marketing Action Plan (MAP) that will guide your law firm’s efforts and provide specific goals for your team to achieve in the next 6 months
  • You will have a realistic idea of how much money it will take to effectively market your law firm
  • You will start building a network of other attorneys across the country who are dedicated to building a 7 figure lifestyle law firm
  • You will understand how to utilize the 7 Rainmaker tools for generating more referrals and repeat business from current and former clients.

Solo practitioners who need to find more clients fast on a shoe-string budget. In addition to all the above benefits, solo attorneys will receive these massive benefits:

  • You will discover over 30 low cost (starting at $20/mo)and no cost marketing strategies to help you stretch your budget
  • You will learn software tools that will help you automate your marketing system
  • You will learn an easy to use system for tracking all your incoming leads
  • You will be introduced to specific tools to help you and your staff convert more prospects into paying clients.
  • You will create a written Marketing Action Plan (MAP) that will guide your law firm’s efforts and provide specific goals for your team to achieve in the next 6 months
  • You will see how other solo attorneys have leveraged internet marketing and social media networks to beat much bigger firms
  • You will hear about best practices in legal marketing and gain new insight into what has and has not worked for other solo attorneys all across the country
  • You will be introduced to several advanced internet marketing strategies for lawyers.
  • You will understand how to utilize the 7 Rainmaker tools for generating more referrals and repeat business from current and former clients.
  • You will learn what the most profitable practice areas are in this economy.
  • You will leave with a Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint to help you fully leverage Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Avvo and JDSupra to drive new leads to your law firm.

Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff who are either responsible for marketing the law firm or manage the team who handles the law firm’s marketing. In addition to all the above benefits, Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff will also receive these benefits:

  • You will understand what it takes to start marketing a practice from scratch.
  • You will walk out with a specific, step-by-step, written Marketing Action Plan (MAP) that your internal marketing team can implement in the next 30 days.
  • You will learn how to quickly evaluate potential legal marketing strategies to determine if they are a “good fit” for your attorney’s practice areas.
  • You will know how to integrate your offline legal marketing strategies, like referral development and cross selling the firm’s other services,with your online and internet marketing strategies.
  • You will have a simple guide for when it’s more beneficial and cost effective to outsource specific attorney marketing projects versus keeping it in house.
  • You will know the questions to ask when evaluating internet marketing and legal website development companies so you can make wise decisions.
  • You will grasp fundamental search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and understand how to evaluate potential providers of SEO services.
  • You will understand the “metrics of legal marketing”—how to track and measure the results and ROI of your law firm’s marketing campaigns using low cost tools.
  • You will discover a proven system for fixing the follow up of your attorneys and how to start tracking every lead, every prospect, and every referral source and automatically follow up with them frequently and consistently.
  • You will discover over a dozen low cost legal marketing strategies you can launch in 30 days or less.
  • You will have a paint-by-the-numbers approach to developing more referral sources for your law firm.
  • You will understand the basics of how to put together a reasonable law firm marketing budget.
  • You will know how to work better with the Managing Partner and law firm Partners to provide them with the data, the metrics and results they are looking for.

Of Counsel Attorneys who are paid on an “eat what you kill” basis. In addition to all the above benefits, Of Counsel attorneys will also receive these benefits:

  • You will learn how other Of Counsel Attorneys build their book of business.
  • You will understand how to walk the line between promoting your firm and promoting yourself.
  • You will learn low cost strategies to develop a stronger referral base.
  • You will realize how to apply a step-by-step approach to increasing your credibility in the marketplace.
  • You will recognize how to find more clients even without the support of your firm.
  • You will apply several specific strategies designed to improve your visibility.
  • You will leave with a game plan for finding more clients and building a sustainable book of business.

Associates who are either looking to grow their book of new clients in the next 6-12 months or want to launch their own private practice. In addition to all the above benefits, Associates will also receive these benefits:

  • You will understand what it takes to start marketing a practice from scratch.
  • You will learn the importance of building your own book of business now instead of just relying on senior attorneys to build it for you.
  • You will learn low cost techniques to find more clients with your limited time.
  • You will obtain a practical understanding of what it really takes to become a “Rainmaker.”

WHAT MAKES THIS SO DIFFERENT FROM EVERY OTHER LEGAL MARKETING SEMINAR?

1. Specifically Designed for Owners and Managing Partners at Small Law Firms and Solo Practitioners.While Associates, Of Counsel, and Partners at large firms (50+ attorneys) are welcome to attend and will receive benefit from attending, the Rainmaker Retreat is specifically designed to meet the needs, challenges, and financial budgets of solo practitioners and small law firms.

You won’t find any strategies that cost tens of thousands of dollars in this seminar. In fact, many of our strategies have little to no cost and with many of them we will tell you how to trade more of your time instead of spending your money if you’re marketing your practice on a shoe-string budget. Nor will you hear about generic marketing ideas that only work if you have a large staff or a separate marketing department.

2. This is an Advanced Legal Marketing Workshop. We work very hard to make the material easy to understand and simple to apply, but please understand this is an advanced, in-depth, hard-hitting law firm marketing course!

If you are just starting out or have never done legal marketing or business development before you will likely find the volume and depth of our strategies to be a little overwhelming at times.

A common remark we hear from experienced attorneys is that attending the Rainmaker Retreat is like “trying to drink from a fire hydrant” because we will provide you will dozens of time tested legal marketing strategies each day of the workshop.

At the Rainmaker Retreat, you will not hear any generic marketing advice like “just buy more Yellow Page ads” or “try to get more referrals from clients.” The Rainmaker Retreat focuses on in-depth discussions of cutting-edge strategies and revealing secrets of highly successful attorneys used by only an elite group of lawyers.

3. You will be taught How to Track and Measure Every Legal Marketing Effort! You will find a big emphasis on tracking the results of your attorney marketing efforts so if you are a numbers kind of person you will LOVE the Rainmaker Retreat!

There are 3 major areas you need to analyze and every one of your current challenges is directly related to problems in one or more of these 3 areas. We will teach you what the 3 areas are and how to use this tool to diagnose your problems and what “marketing treatment” you need to prescribe.

4. You will learn a Proven Lead Conversion System. The biggest area attorneys overlook in their legal marketing efforts is how to convert more prospects into paying clients. You will learn the 5 numbers you need to track in your law firm.

We will give you the tools and teach you how to use them so you can start tracking: (1) where every incoming lead is coming from, (2) how many of those leads turn into appointments, (3) how many appointments show up, (4) how many of those appointments retain at the initial consult, and (5) how many retain at a later date. We will introduce you to our Rainmaker Follow Up System that can be used to determine your Cost Per Lead (CPL) and Cost Per Client (CPC).

5. It is a Working Retreat. This means that several times each day you will be given specific marketing tasks to complete with step-by-step instructions. You not only come to listen, learn and discover, but also to practice and apply.

By the end of the Rainmaker Retreat you will:

  • Create a written 90-day Marketing Action Plan (MAP) for your law firm
  • Discover your firm’s Unique Competitive Advantage (UCA)
  • Identify a profile of your Ideal Target Market (ITM)
  • Have written strategies for improving your internet presence and search engine optimization
  • Develop your own plan for leveraging the power of blogging and social media following the Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint
  • Create a letter of introduction to potential Strategic Referral Partners (SRPs)

6. There is a Strong Focus on Return on Investment (ROI)! Everything about this workshop is focused on one goal—helping you achieve the best possible results by finding more and better clients in the least amount of time using the least amount of money possible!

For most attorneys,landing just 1 new client as a result of this workshop will more than pay for your attendance. But that’s not our goal! Our goal is to teach you how to gain dozens of new clients in the next 60-90 days.

Please note, ethically we cannot guarantee those kinds of results, but we work hard to provide you with all of the tools you will need to find more and better clients on a consistent basis. With that kind of Return on Investment, can you afford not to attend?

7. 100% Money Back Guarantee! We are so confident you will benefit from the Rainmaker Retreat that we offer a 100% money back guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied at the end of the first day, just let us know, turn your materials in and we will refund your money.

We guarantee you will come out of these 2 days with a step-by-step Marketing Action Plan (MAP) to make very specific changes to your marketing and how you go about building your legal practice.

When the Sky’s the Limit, Don’t Forget the Basics: Social Media, the Internet and Your Business

The National Law Review recently published an article by Charles H. Gardner of Much Shelist, P.C. regarding Social Media and Businesses:

In today’s diverse marketplace, social media sites, as opposed to a company’s own branded website, are poised to become a primary and potentially first point of contact with current and future generations of consumers. Techrevel.com recently reported that 56% of consumers who use Facebook, as an example, say that they are more likely to recommend a brand after becoming a “fan.” With the number of Facebook users approaching one billion, a strong social media presence has become a de facto mandate for businesses.

In response, start up and established businesses are growing more reliant on the Internet, and social media in particular, for marketing and sales. According to a recent Forrester Research study cited on Statistica.com, social media marketing expenditure is expected to grow to $5 billion in 2016, up from approximately $1.6 billion in 2011.

In this context, you may be exploring the possibility of making your company website more interactive. From a business perspective, creating a user experience on your branded website that is simpatico with social media reanimates the end user’s experience and revitalizes your brand. From a legal perspective, however, you may wonder how to enter (or expand your presence in) this pioneer media. How do you balance the advantages of interactivity with the added burdens of creating, maintaining and updating essential privacy, data security and other policies?

You can start by asking―and answering―the following questions:

Does your website have a privacy policy that is compliant with all federal, state and territorial laws?

Federal law (and several state laws) mandates that companies inform their users about the personally identifiable information (PII) they collect, how the company uses it, with whom the company may share it, and how users may “opt-out” of having their PII collected and shared. PII includes information such as name, social security number, biometric records, etc., that alone or when combined with other information such as date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, etc., can be used to trace an individual’s identity. Because many states have regulations that are more restrictive than federal regulations, you should seek to comply with the laws of the most restrictive states. These laws may apply not only to information that you collect from your own company website, but also from your company social media pages.

Every company with a presence on the internet should have a privacy policy that is compliant, proactive and forward thinking. If you have a strong international presence, it should address issues of global compliance as well.

If your company website is interactive or likely to become interactive, are you following proper procedures to shield the company from liability?

Consumers are likely to continue their use of third-party social media sites, including Facebook, as an interactive first point of contact with a company. However, as branded company sites begin to mirror the functionality of traditional social media sites, company sites are including interactive features from blogs and community chat rooms to video sharing  and personalized profile pages that allow the posting of user-generated content (UGC). If your website includes these or similar features, then you are, in fact, also an interactive website.

There are two important legal protections for operators of interactive computer services. The Communications Decency Act (CDA) provides safe harbor (immunity from liability) for Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This shields an ISP from liability arising out of civil causes of action such as defamation, invasion of privacy, trade libel, etc. As a very general rule, as long as the provider is not a publisher of the content (importantly, they merely provide a place to post the content; they do NOT contribute to or edit it), they will not be held liable for the original posting of the offending UGC. While the term ISP is traditionally applied to services such as Yahoo!, Google, and AOL, recent case law suggests that if you operate an interactive computer service, you should, for the practical purpose of maintaining safe harbor protection, consider yourself a sort of ISP.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) also contains important safe harbor provisions. Under the DMCA, “an operator of interactive computer services” is immune from liability for intellectual property (primarily copyright) infringement by a third party using the service provided that the provider follows certain registration, compliance and procedural guidelines.

Do you post and require users to agree to your company website’s terms of use?

One of the most valuable policies for a website owner is a terms of use policy (sometimes called “house rules” or a “user agreement”). Your terms of use tell your users what they can reasonably expect when using your site. For example, you may prohibit certain activities, such as hate speech, personal attacks, posting materials to which the user does not have the requisite legal rights, etc. By setting the ground rules of what you will allow on your site, you can monitor UGC for violations of the policy and remove or refuse to post such material objectively based upon your site’s posted terms and preserve your safe harbor protection. Remember, if an ISP edits or modifies content, it is treated as a publisher of content and can lose safe harbor protection. However, if an ISP removes content in its entirety for violating a documented policy, the ISP is not considered a publisher and is protected under the CDA for example.

A well-crafted terms of use policy, if correctly written and agreed to, also forms a “contract” between the end user and the website operator. For example, arbitration clauses can minimize the likelihood of class action lawsuits and the potentially negative publicity of high-profile trials. A transparent policy can also set reasonable expectations, engender goodwill and protect the company website owner.

Do you have internal procedures and policies in place to address data security, data breaches and personnel practices?

As soon as reasonably possible, before or after your site goes live, you should discuss data security with your attorney and a qualified information technology (IT) representative. Like privacy policies, data security policies should comply with federal law and regulations, as well as the laws of the most restrictive U.S. state or territory. It is wise to have written procedures for data protection and breaches, which should be provided to any personnel who will be dealing with the company’s electronically stored information (ESI), particularly to the extent that the ESI contains end users’ PII.

You should also have a separate personnel policy that educates your employees and contractors about the use of company technology, social media and the Internet, and that protects your company without unreasonably or illegally restricting your employees’ activities.

As a practical matter, social media is no longer merely an optional business tool. It is a primary source of communication, information and advertising. Developing sound social media and technology policies as early as possible can reduce your liability and exposure and allow your company room to grow in this new online world.

© 2012 Much Shelist, P.C.

Rainmaker Retreat: Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp

The National Law Review is pleased to bring you information about the upcoming Law Firm Marketing Boot Camp:

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?

Have you ever gone to a seminar that left you feeling motivated, but you walked out with little more than a good feeling? Or taken a workshop that was great on style, but short on substance?

Ever been to an event that was nothing more than a “pitch fest” that left a bad taste in your mouth? We know exactly how you feel. We have all been to those kinds of events and we hate all those things too. Let me tell you right up front this is not a “pitch fest” where speaker after speaker gets up only trying to sell you something.

We have designed this 2 day intensive workshop to be content rich, loaded with practical content.

We are so confident you will love the Rainmaker Retreat that we offer a 100% unconditional money-back guarantee! At the end of the first day of the Rainmaker Retreat if you don’t believe you have already received your money’s worth, simply tell one of the staff, return your 70-page workbook and the CD set you received and we will issue you a 100% refund.

We understand making the decision to attend an intensive 2-day workshop is a tough decision. Not only do you have to take a day off work (all Rainmaker Retreats are offered only on a Friday-Saturday), but in many cases you have to travel to the event. As a business owner you want to be sure this is a worthwhile investment of your time and money.

 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Partners at Small Law Firms (less than 25 attorneys) Solo Practitioners and Of Counsel attorneys who are committed to growing their firm. Benefits you will receive:

  • You will discover over 65 different marketing techniques that are proven to work in the real world environment of a fast moving law firm. Only practical  techniques will be discussed here. We leave the theory for the classroom.
  • You will know the 5 critical numbers you need to be tracking in your law firm and how to measure your Return On Investment (ROI) for all your marketing efforts.
  • You will understand the core concepts of search engine optimization (SEO) and internet marketing for attorneys and how to create a dominant position on the internet.
  • You will study specific tools to automate your marketing system and “fix your follow up” to increase your conversion rates from prospects to paying clients.
  • You will be introduced to several advanced internet marketing strategies for lawyers.
  • You will leave with a Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint to help you fully leverage Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Avvo and JDSupra to drive new leads to your law firm.
  • You will learn from dozens of real world case studies of how attorneys have gone from a good 6 figure practice to a great “7 figure lifestyle law firm.”
  • You will learn how to focus your money on the most effective marketing strategies based on your specific practice area.
  • You will learn how to better select, train and motivate your partners and staff to do Rainmaking activities
  • You will learn where you can ‘cut the fat’ and reduce your costs by eliminating ineffective marketing strategies
  • You will create a written Marketing Action Plan (MAP) that will guide your law firm’s efforts and provide specific goals for your team to achieve in the next 6 months
  • You will have a realistic idea of how much money it will take to effectively market your law firm
  • You will start building a network of other attorneys across the country who are dedicated to building a 7 figure lifestyle law firm
  • You will understand how to utilize the 7 Rainmaker tools for generating more referrals and repeat business from current and former clients.

Solo practitioners who need to find more clients fast on a shoe-string budget. In addition to all the above benefits, solo attorneys will receive these massive benefits:

  • You will discover over 30 low cost (starting at $20/mo)and no cost marketing strategies to help you stretch your budget
  • You will learn software tools that will help you automate your marketing system
  • You will learn an easy to use system for tracking all your incoming leads
  • You will be introduced to specific tools to help you and your staff convert more prospects into paying clients.
  • You will create a written Marketing Action Plan (MAP) that will guide your law firm’s efforts and provide specific goals for your team to achieve in the next 6 months
  • You will see how other solo attorneys have leveraged internet marketing and social media networks to beat much bigger firms
  • You will hear about best practices in legal marketing and gain new insight into what has and has not worked for other solo attorneys all across the country
  • You will be introduced to several advanced internet marketing strategies for lawyers.
  • You will understand how to utilize the 7 Rainmaker tools for generating more referrals and repeat business from current and former clients.
  • You will learn what the most profitable practice areas are in this economy.
  • You will leave with a Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint to help you fully leverage Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Avvo and JDSupra to drive new leads to your law firm.

Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff who are either responsible for marketing the law firm or manage the team who handles the law firm’s marketing. In addition to all the above benefits, Law Firm Business Managers and Internal Legal Marketing Staff will also receive these benefits:

  • You will understand what it takes to start marketing a practice from scratch.
  • You will walk out with a specific, step-by-step, written Marketing Action Plan (MAP) that your internal marketing team can implement in the next 30 days.
  • You will learn how to quickly evaluate potential legal marketing strategies to determine if they are a “good fit” for your attorney’s practice areas.
  • You will know how to integrate your offline legal marketing strategies, like referral development and cross selling the firm’s other services,with your online and internet marketing strategies.
  • You will have a simple guide for when it’s more beneficial and cost effective to outsource specific attorney marketing projects versus keeping it in house.
  • You will know the questions to ask when evaluating internet marketing and legal website development companies so you can make wise decisions.
  • You will grasp fundamental search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and understand how to evaluate potential providers of SEO services.
  • You will understand the “metrics of legal marketing”—how to track and measure the results and ROI of your law firm’s marketing campaigns using low cost tools.
  • You will discover a proven system for fixing the follow up of your attorneys and how to start tracking every lead, every prospect, and every referral source and automatically follow up with them frequently and consistently.
  • You will discover over a dozen low cost legal marketing strategies you can launch in 30 days or less.
  • You will have a paint-by-the-numbers approach to developing more referral sources for your law firm.
  • You will understand the basics of how to put together a reasonable law firm marketing budget.
  • You will know how to work better with the Managing Partner and law firm Partners to provide them with the data, the metrics and results they are looking for.

Of Counsel Attorneys who are paid on an “eat what you kill” basis. In addition to all the above benefits, Of Counsel attorneys will also receive these benefits:

  • You will learn how other Of Counsel Attorneys build their book of business.
  • You will understand how to walk the line between promoting your firm and promoting yourself.
  • You will learn low cost strategies to develop a stronger referral base.
  • You will realize how to apply a step-by-step approach to increasing your credibility in the marketplace.
  • You will recognize how to find more clients even without the support of your firm.
  • You will apply several specific strategies designed to improve your visibility.
  • You will leave with a game plan for finding more clients and building a sustainable book of business.

Associates who are either looking to grow their book of new clients in the next 6-12 months or want to launch their own private practice. In addition to all the above benefits, Associates will also receive these benefits:

  • You will understand what it takes to start marketing a practice from scratch.
  • You will learn the importance of building your own book of business now instead of just relying on senior attorneys to build it for you.
  • You will learn low cost techniques to find more clients with your limited time.
  • You will obtain a practical understanding of what it really takes to become a “Rainmaker.”

WHAT MAKES THIS SO DIFFERENT FROM EVERY OTHER LEGAL MARKETING SEMINAR?

1. Specifically Designed for Owners and Managing Partners at Small Law Firms and Solo Practitioners.While Associates, Of Counsel, and Partners at large firms (50+ attorneys) are welcome to attend and will receive benefit from attending, the Rainmaker Retreat is specifically designed to meet the needs, challenges, and financial budgets of solo practitioners and small law firms.

You won’t find any strategies that cost tens of thousands of dollars in this seminar. In fact, many of our strategies have little to no cost and with many of them we will tell you how to trade more of your time instead of spending your money if you’re marketing your practice on a shoe-string budget. Nor will you hear about generic marketing ideas that only work if you have a large staff or a separate marketing department.

2. This is an Advanced Legal Marketing Workshop. We work very hard to make the material easy to understand and simple to apply, but please understand this is an advanced, in-depth, hard-hitting law firm marketing course!

If you are just starting out or have never done legal marketing or business development before you will likely find the volume and depth of our strategies to be a little overwhelming at times.

A common remark we hear from experienced attorneys is that attending the Rainmaker Retreat is like “trying to drink from a fire hydrant” because we will provide you will dozens of time tested legal marketing strategies each day of the workshop.

At the Rainmaker Retreat, you will not hear any generic marketing advice like “just buy more Yellow Page ads” or “try to get more referrals from clients.” The Rainmaker Retreat focuses on in-depth discussions of cutting-edge strategies and revealing secrets of highly successful attorneys used by only an elite group of lawyers.

3. You will be taught How to Track and Measure Every Legal Marketing Effort! You will find a big emphasis on tracking the results of your attorney marketing efforts so if you are a numbers kind of person you will LOVE the Rainmaker Retreat!

There are 3 major areas you need to analyze and every one of your current challenges is directly related to problems in one or more of these 3 areas. We will teach you what the 3 areas are and how to use this tool to diagnose your problems and what “marketing treatment” you need to prescribe.

4. You will learn a Proven Lead Conversion System. The biggest area attorneys overlook in their legal marketing efforts is how to convert more prospects into paying clients. You will learn the 5 numbers you need to track in your law firm.

We will give you the tools and teach you how to use them so you can start tracking: (1) where every incoming lead is coming from, (2) how many of those leads turn into appointments, (3) how many appointments show up, (4) how many of those appointments retain at the initial consult, and (5) how many retain at a later date. We will introduce you to our Rainmaker Follow Up System that can be used to determine your Cost Per Lead (CPL) and Cost Per Client (CPC).

5. It is a Working Retreat. This means that several times each day you will be given specific marketing tasks to complete with step-by-step instructions. You not only come to listen, learn and discover, but also to practice and apply.

By the end of the Rainmaker Retreat you will:

  • Create a written 90-day Marketing Action Plan (MAP) for your law firm
  • Discover your firm’s Unique Competitive Advantage (UCA)
  • Identify a profile of your Ideal Target Market (ITM)
  • Have written strategies for improving your internet presence and search engine optimization
  • Develop your own plan for leveraging the power of blogging and social media following the Rainmaker Social Media Blueprint
  • Create a letter of introduction to potential Strategic Referral Partners (SRPs)

6. There is a Strong Focus on Return on Investment (ROI)! Everything about this workshop is focused on one goal—helping you achieve the best possible results by finding more and better clients in the least amount of time using the least amount of money possible!

For most attorneys,landing just 1 new client as a result of this workshop will more than pay for your attendance. But that’s not our goal! Our goal is to teach you how to gain dozens of new clients in the next 60-90 days.

Please note, ethically we cannot guarantee those kinds of results, but we work hard to provide you with all of the tools you will need to find more and better clients on a consistent basis. With that kind of Return on Investment, can you afford not to attend?

7. 100% Money Back Guarantee! We are so confident you will benefit from the Rainmaker Retreat that we offer a 100% money back guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied at the end of the first day, just let us know, turn your materials in and we will refund your money.

We guarantee you will come out of these 2 days with a step-by-step Marketing Action Plan (MAP) to make very specific changes to your marketing and how you go about building your legal practice.

8th Annual Asian ITechLaw Conference

The National Law Review is pleased to bring you information on the upcoming 8th Annual Asian ITechLaw Conference:

ITech --8th Annual Asian ITechLaw Conference on February 23 and 24, 2012

As National Law Review member you are entitled to a 10% discount to the

8th ITechLaw International Asian Conference

ITechLaw’s 8th annual run of the very popular International Asian Conference will take place in Bangalore – the high technology capital of India.

The theme for India VIII is Technology Law in an Era of Changing Business Paradigms. For a glimpse of what is lined up for a discerning attendee like you, please visit http://www.itechlaw-india.com. Be sure to be one of the first to sign up for this landmark India event.

  • 8th Consecutive event of the ITechLaw India series
  • A ringside view of Indian IT, Media and Telecom Law
  • Supported by several of the largest law firms and global associations
  • ITechLaw’s CyberSpaceCamp® to be held on February 22, 2012
  • Contemporary topics addressed by leading experts drawn from some of the best global law firms
  • Engaging debates with panelists from industry, regulatory authorities and in-house legal departments
  • Interactive sessions on issues affecting the largest IT bases in the world
  • Welcome Reception and Art Show, promoting emerging Indian artistes, allowing delegates to network with local corporates and invited guests
  • Gala Dinner and Networking Luncheons – ample networking opportunities to meet fellow professionals
  • I – Win Tea Meeting
  • In – House Counsel Breakfast Meeting
  • Exclusive golf outings on February 22 and 25, 2012
  • Make the trip a memorable experience by taking an excursion to exotic destinations across southern India, such as Mysore, Kerala and Tamil Nadu

Look forward to a considerable amount of debate and brainstorming. Social meets such as luncheons and gala dinners will enable attendees to indulge into fruitful networking with prospects, contacts and peers from around the world.

See you at the 8th ITechLaw International Asian Conference.